This
file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have
collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date
back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's
Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at:
http://www.florilegium.org

I
have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate
topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information
was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and
remove clutter.

The
comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no
claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

Please
respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The
copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is
published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

>If I wish to recommend that a gentle receives his/her AoA, what is
the

>correct process (or recommended way) of doing so? I apologize to
all if

>this information is located somewhere in the Corpora or Red Tape,
I have

This may be a bit long-winded, but here's an article I wrote on the
subject

Last year. I hope it helps spell things out somewhat.

In joyful service,

Aedan

-----

Seeking Recommendations - Awards Offered

I know that if you look around you can find other articles on this
subject, but I'm hoping one more will not hurt. What I'm talking about is that
wonderful feeling of pointing out the great work of someone you know and seeing
them rewarded for it. If they are doing such a great job then why would they
need a recommendation? Believe it or not, neither the King nor the Queen (nor
your local Baron/ess, for that matter) are exactly all knowing and they rely on
each and every one of us to help them out by directing their attention at their
noteworthy subjects. Let's start with some details on the process.

The first thing to remember is that anyone can recommend a gentle for
any award. You don't have to have received that award yourself, there is no
minimum requirement of rank or precedence. Merely making the effort of putting
pen to paper (or reaching for that keyboard) is enough to put you in a special
and all too rare category. Send any recommendations for Baronial awards to
that person's Baron/ess. Kingdom level award recommendations get sent to Thier
Majesties, of course. Let's get into some more specifics.

1. These points apply to both Baronial and Kingdom level awards.
If you're shy about sending something to the King and Queen, your seneschal or
Baron/ess are usually more than happy to act as a go-between for you.

2. Put it in writing. Their Majesties have a million details to
remember, please don't give them one more. For those of you in the electronic
world, email is often perfectly acceptable.

3. Make it clear who the person being recommended is. Try to at
least include mundane and SCA names as well as their home group.

4. If recommending for a polling order, be sure to send a copy to
the principle of that order. Their information can be found in the Acorn. The
polling orders are the Academie D'Espee, Golden Dolphin, Pearl and Sea Stag
orders.

5. Be as specific as you can. Saying "Joe's autocratted 3
events in the past 2 years" or "Jill is always in the kitchen helping
with cleanup after local events" is great. "Bill works really hard
and is a great fighter" is not so helpful.

6. You don't have to recommend someone for a specific award.
Pointing out their fighting skill, artistic accomplishments and teachings,
great amount of service or extreme courtesy can suffice.

7. The King's Award of Excellence and the Undine are personal
awards >from the King and Queen respectively. It would be presumptuous to
recommend specifically for these awards although a general pointing out of
someone's work just might earn them one of these accolades.

8. Be willing to sign your name to it and include contact
information

for yourself. Just like complaints, praise tends to be ignored if it
is anonymous.

9. It does not hurt to be sure but don't worry too much about
knowing if they already have that award. The Crown will do their best to
confirm this information. The worst case would be for a gentle to receive the
award a second time, not too disastrous.

10. Be courteous in your writing. Remember that you are trying to
point out someone's achievements and not filling out a mail order for a
birthday present. Making the recommendation doesn't ensure that the award will
be given but it does go a long ways in that direction.

11. This is a medieval reenactment society but make your
recommendations in reasonably modern English and a readable handwriting or
font. If it can't be understood, it can't be acted upon.

12. Anyone can make award recommendations. This bears repeating.

Writing that first recommendation can be the hard part. After that,
it's much easier and just think of how you'll feel being in court when that
award is given, knowing that you were part of the process.